June saw the Tyneside Book Group tackle a very different version of the Greek myths, with Natalie Haynes placing the emphasis on the stories of the women Homer only mentions in passing in The Iliad.

A Thousand Ships had both fans and detractors among members, although everyone appreciated some elements of her take on the events surrounding The Iliad and The Odyssey.

For supporters, this book was a necessary corrective to some male-dominated accounts, and also benefited from the perspective of a woman, albeit one born thousands of years after these tales were first told.

Natalie Haynes certainly had the classical background though to base her account on intimate knowledge of the source material, and she made it clear that was largely the basis for the novel.

Members enjoyed the pace of the writing and the use of different perspectives to keep the narrative moving along. They also appreciated her choice not to write a straightforward narrative, but to move around in both time and place.

There was some division on the sections narrated by Penelope. For some members these were the pinnacle, written with wit but also with insight into how Odysseus' wife might deal with a long separation.

For others though these sections felt glib and lacked psychological insight, offering a missed opportunity. That was also a more general criticism of the book for some, who felt that Haynes added little depth or new perspective on events and characters. Some felt they would much rather have returned to the original classical sources.

Those who enjoyed the book though felt she did bring a freshness to the tales, and breathed life into characters like Cassandra, Hecuba and Clytemnestra. They felt she brought home the powerlessness of women in a male-dominated society which treated them as possessions.  

The Tyneside Book Club began spring by reading Claire Fuller's award-winning Unsettled Ground.

Members found its account of twins living on the edge of society well-written and engaging, with plenty to discuss.

The siblings, Jeanie and Julius, were felt to be well-drawn and realistic, although some members found it easier to empathise with Jeanie, and did not find Julius as fleshed-out.

Members also found the world built by Fuller was a rounded one, with both cruelty and kindness on show. Supporting characters were generally well-drawn, although some found a few a little stereotypical.

There was some discussion about just how dysfunctional the Seeder family was. Clearly, mother Dot had left the twins poorly-prepared to cope with modern life after her death, and had told some unforgivable lies to them.

But members also noted the warmth and love in their relationships, and that families from a more "normal" background in the novel were not necessarily happier or more well-adjusted.

And although the twins' family background was far from conventional, there were also universal themes about sibling relationships and the inability for us perhaps to really understand the inner lives of parents.

There were times when members did find the problems encountered by the Seeders somewhat heavy-going, but that was balanced by the kindness and humanity of those who did try and help them.

The plot twists and reveals were also felt to be well-handled, with the author maintaining the interest of readers without slipping into melodrama. 

Despite what could have been a bleak ending, there was a sense of hope at the conclusion of what for members was an enjoyable read.

March saw members tackle a crime novel, but one with an unusual format. Janice Hallett has brought the epistolary novel into the 21st Century by using emails and texts to tell a murder mystery.
Members read her first novel, The Appeal, which has proved such a hit that it has produced a number of follow-ups from the author. The reader is plunged into the machinations of an am-dram group, and the complications of a charity appeal for an apparently sick child.
For many members this was an enjoyable read, and, although it clocked in at more than 400 pages, its format helped to maintain the pace and interest.
There was appreciation for the intricacy of a plot that kept readers guessing and was far from straightforward. Supporters were intrigued by just exactly what was playing out.
Hallett was also felt to have used humour well to draw you in to the world she created, and making you feel you had a stake in the outcome.
There was some discussion about how long it took for the murder to actually take place (around 250 pages). Some felt they were left waiting too long, while others appreciated the need to build the world and set the scene, feeling the delay added to the tension.
For some though, even if the book drew them in at first, their interest waned in the middle sections, and patience was tested. There was still some investment in the outcome, but it had lost its grip.
Some felt there were just too many characters. Although some were there as possible suspects, others felt a little unnecessary.
There was also a growing sense for some of how contrived The Appeal was with a framing device that grew unconvincing. A failure to explain why key details and significant chunks of correspondence were missing also ended up robbing the conclusion of power.
There was also discussion about the format. While some thought its reliance on emails and texts was both original and appealing, others felt it made it relentless and unfocused.
There was agreement that this was a book best read in physical form as those who sampled it on ebook or phone struggled more.
It was another book and another month though that generated a lively discussion.

February's meeting discussed Penelope Fitzgerald's 1978 Booker shortlisted The Bookshop. It is a comparatively brief novel, and opinions varied on how much it achieved in fewer than 200 pages.
Those who appreciated it most felt it delivered a powerful punch in its short span, with great economy but also fine writing. Fitzgerald seemed in complete control of her material with focus and purpose.
And for fans, its apparent cosy rural setting belied an undercurrent of darkness and nastiness, as this showed a closed and hierarchical community crushing the life out of the bookshop and its owner Florence.
But as well being a sad and melancholy book, there were flashes of genuine humour and memorable characters.
Members particularly enjoyed Florence's 10-year-old spiky assistant Christine, and her villainous nemesis Violet Gamart. 
Class and power featured strongly and although this was a portrait of an individual Sussex village, the themes were universal enough to be recognisable traits of many societies. Its setting on the verge of the 1960s and social change felt significant.
For some though the book did not have the same impact, failing to cohere into a novel that held their attention. They also believed it could have benefited from expansion and a broader canvas. Some found it a slog despite its length.
A supernatural element to the story also felt superfluous to some members, who felt it added little. Some felt Florence's apparent passivity made it hard to connect to her plight.
A member who had seen the film version felt it was potentially preferable to the book. There was agreement though that this was a small book that promoted quite a lot of discussion.

The Tyneside Book Club started 2025 in very different style as it welcomed Northumberland crime writer Marrisse Whittaker to a joint meeting of it and its sister groups.

In preparation, members had read Buried Dreams - the fourth instalment in a series of locally-based crime novels written by Marrisse. They all feature Billie Wilde, who starts the series in the police force but in the most recent books has become a private investigator.

Marrisse talked the group through that book and the series as a whole, discussing her background, and why Covid lockdowns had driven her to try her hand at crime fiction. The author already had experience as a TV script writer for Hollyoaks and Doctors, as well as making filmed documentaries.

She described how she had bought the visual skills of a scriptwriter to her novel, and why that explained her concentration on dialogue and short, impactful scenes. She also discussed her desire for the books to tackle real-life issues such as sex trafficking and county lines drug dealing, as well as the capture of serial killers.

Marrisse also gave insights into the world of publishing and the hard work needed to both write but also promote books. She encouraged members who were writing to use her example as an author who has had success later in life.

November saw the Tyneside Book Club sink into sci-fi and cephalopods in a close encounter with Scottish writer Doug Johnstone's The Space Between Us. 

Members largely enjoyed what proved to be a page-turner with characters to care about - including the multi-tentacled alien that the human cast meet and bond with.

There was appreciation for the pace and tight writing that helped the novel skip along and maintain readers' interest. Even those who didn't often dabble in sci-fi felt there was enough to enjoy.

There was a sense that there wasn't anything particularly original about Johnston's premise, which had echoes of ET, Arrival and Close Encounters, but it was executed competently.

Most members though did have qualms about the depiction of the government agencies and authorities who seemed one-dimensionally villainous as well as strikingly incompetent and underpowered.

The domestic violence and coercive control which affected one character was thought to be mostly well-drawn but the seemingly supernatural ability of the abusive partner to appear out of nowhere stretched credibility and undermined its potential power.

There were a few predictable plotting elements, but members were intrigued by the alien consciousness of the creatures. Some though did find the regular trips into the alien mind a little confusing.

There was some discussion about the dubious science involved in the alien journey to earth, and some felt the plot got ever more fantastical and unconvincing as the novel reached its conclusion. It did though end in a generally entertaining and satisfying way.

Members did note the seeding of a potential sequel, but were divided on whether they would seek it out.

In October, Tyneside Book Club got the chance of an insight into one of the key players in the 2024 US Presidential election. It was far from a landslide victory though for JD Vance and his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy.

All agreed it was interesting to encounter Vance in the years before he formally entered politics and embraced Donald Trump to become his Vice Presidential running mate. The memoir had been a sensation, and a best-seller at the time, and did provide some insight into the man.

Members were surprised about some of his views given his recent pronouncements, and certainly indicated he had been on quite a political "journey". But most also saw the seeds of the 2024 Vance in his writing.

It was generally agreed that the writing was competent and took the reader through some of his arguments. There has been discussion though about how far he represents the community he came from, and whether he is guilty of sustaining the stereotypes he claims to be undermining.

Some members were concerned that this was a partial and politically-loaded portrait of poor, white America, that did not actually reflect the full picture. There was limits then on how useful it was in explaining the decision by members of the community to abandon traditional Democrat loyalty and vote for Trump.

Vance's grandmother Mamaw was clearly the strongest character he portrayed, and one that was a huge influence on his life. But members felt Vance seemed to lack a compassionate curiosity about the factors that made his mother a more distant and troubled part of his uprbringing. 

Vance was also quick to condemn those who failed to escape from the deprivation and problems of the community, but not analyse the luck that allowed him the chance to capitalise on his undoubted intelligence and drive.

One member who had listened to Vance read the audiobook of Hillbilly Elegy thought his narration reinforced the impression that he was a sociopath, with very little empathy for his fellow human beings.

Some members also commented on the flat and unemotional style of his writing, and found it left them with little real insight into his character. Some also found his arguments repetitive.

So it was no ringing endorsement for JD, and members will now wait to see if American electors decide differently.

The Tyneside Book Club tackled the appropriately-titled Small Things Like These for September's meeting. Claire Keegan's book is a slim volume, but members agreed that it punched above its weight.

Set in 1980s Ireland, it explores the horror of the Magdalen Laundries, but through the eyes of Bill Furlong, the local coal man, who gradually realises their purpose.

Members thought this was an interesting approach that did shed a different light on a subject that, after decades of silence, is now being explored on film and page. The reader still felt the gruesome power of the oppression within the laundries, but by placing it at one remove it avoided the pitfalls of torture porn.

Some members felt this did allow Keegan to explore the question of how something so unacceptable was allowed to happen right until as close as a few decades ago.

It was apparent that some parts of the community, mostly the women, knew what was going on at the laundry. But the power of the Church in the state and the locality meant any challenge was likely to have dire consequences.

Bill Furlong is unaware of this and possesses a naivete about the potential pitfalls of intervening. Members discussed whether his eventual intervention was likely to achieve much. The consensus was that it would not, but that also raised the impact of morally choosing to do nothing.

His own upbringing provided another interesting exploration of the consequences of living in a society so tightly controlled by the Catholic Church and its values.

For some members, the book was frustratingly short, and there were aspects that they felt needed to be developed further and expanded. But other members felt even if it was perhaps a long short story rather than a novel, its brevity did not detract from its power and subtlety. For some a second reading had added layers. 

In July, the club went even more bookish as it tackled The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. Set in a New England bookshop on the fictional Alice Island, it was made into a less successful film which does not seem to have ever been released in the UK.

The book though was generally a hit with members, who enjoyed its humour, heart and literary references. There was appreciation for twists that members did not see coming, but added to the emotional impact. Although the setting was fictional, it did also seem well-realised.

Members felt the novel was well-written and pacey, perhaps too pacey for who felt slightly disconcerted by the regular jumps in time that took place. There was though general engagement with the cast of characters, who had enough depth to feel real.

AJ in particular felt well-drawn, though some members felt his transformation from curmudgeon to caring partner and father felt a little too easy. Members also warmed to the police chief Lambiase, who provided much of the humour and heart.

Members also largely appreciated and enjoyed the author's decision to open each chapter with a description of a short story by the title character, and overall the literary references added to the enjoyment.

There was a sense that some of the story came together slightly too conveniently, with the adoption of Maya in particular happening a little too easily. Members were prepared to forgive though a little lack of realism.

Some members felt Maya was perhaps a little too precocious, and did not always act her age, but that may have been consistent with her character and upbringing in the bookshop.

There was some discussion about the choice to end the book with a tragedy. Some members felt it was unnecessary, and also failed to pack the emotional punch it should have done, exposing some weakness in the storytelling.

Overall though members enjoyed being immersed in AJ Fikry's island and relished their time being trapped on Alice Island.

What if you could turn back time to a decade that seems more appealing? That was the premise of April's Tyneside Book Choice Time Shelter. 

The Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov won the International Booker with the novel, and club members agreed there was plenty to ponder in its premise.

In the novel, wallowing in the past is initially a potential positive with dementia patients benefiting from being surrounded by the atmosphere and objects from a past era. This was something some members were familiar with from treatment techniques used in this country too.

What starts as therapeutic though takes a darker turn when the whole society decides to turn back the clock. There were clearly points being made about recent political trends - including Brexit.

Members though were divided on how well the idea worked as a full novel, with some wondering whether it was an idea better suited to a short story. Some though thought it a smart, fleet-footed and perceptive analysis of the factors behind much of recent European history.

Some members thought the book genuinely funny and appreciated it as a novel of ideas. Others though found its unconventional structure became a barrier. For them, character development seemed limited and the fractured narrative an irritant.

Some also felt the book got rather far-fetched, and people's eventual choice of a decade a tad predictable. Members wondered whether there was a Fight Club-style twist lurking within.

There was though agreement that this was a book with universal themes that applied well beyond Bulgaria. Some members found Time Shelter's roots in Eastern Europe did though also offer specific personal resonance.

Despite division on how successful Time Shelter finally was, members did think it was a good choice that sparked a great discussion.